


to assuage all doubts and fears

by ideare



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Machine of Death - ed. Bennardo/Malki/North
Genre: Gen, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Lowercase, Marauders' Era
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-23
Updated: 2017-09-23
Packaged: 2019-01-26 02:46:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 400
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12547064
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ideare/pseuds/ideare
Summary: back from the holidays, lily is keen to introduce the latest muggle craze to her fellow gryffindors:the machine of death.





	to assuage all doubts and fears

“i don't know; this sounds too magical to be a muggle invention.” 

peter’s doubt reflects the group's scepticism, and they murmur their agreement, even as they step closer to the table.

in the centre of the table is a device that lily claims is the latest muggle craze. (and with the backing of their resident muggle expert, arthur, no one wants to argue the case too hard.)

freeing her hands from her sides, lily explains, “it's just science, amplified by —”

“magic!”

“no, sirius,” lily doesn't spare him a glance, just barrels forward with her explanation. “— technology. the name is a bit on the nose, i admit, but it gets the point across.”

with the mention of 'name' everyone pushes a little bit closer to see the stenciled print of ‘the machine of death’ on the side of the device.

“and this machine — unaided by magic,” peter frowns, “can tell you how you’ll die? without magic.” 

peter isn't the only one who looks suspicious. there are even mutters about the dark arts.

she doubts there'll be any offers, but lily still asks: "would anyone like to go first?"

there's a chorus of ‘no’s in various forms.

"then," lily shuffles around the table to stand in front of the machine, "to assuage your doubts and fears, i'll go first!"

it's easy to ignore the butterflies in her stomach; truthfully, there is a strong part of lily that doesn't actually _believe_ in the machine — not in the same way that she believes in science: a way to support an hypothesis; or in the same way that she believes in technology: a tangible way to solve a problem; or even in the same way that she believes in magic: a curious oddity whose practicality is limitless, but whose actual logic still manages to allude her. 

the machine of death is, at best, an amusing way to pass the time on a slow weekend; at worst, it's nothing more than a morbid con. either way, there's no real logic as to why it works or — most annoyingly — _how_ it works.

waiting on the print out of the prediction is achingly slow. people try to pick-up a light conversation as they shuffle around awkwardly, the whirring of the machine louder than their voices. nothing really gets started though; the tension is too high.

a puzzled look flits across lily's face as she studies her result: _**love**_.

**Author's Note:**

> originally written for the prompts "i don't want it" and "butterfly" over at [lastfanstanding](https://lastfanstanding.dreamwidth.org).


End file.
